Sentinel to sell The Luminaires Group to Acuity Brands

Sentinel Capital Partners has agreed to sell Montreal-based The Luminaires Group, a maker of architectural lighting fixtures, to Acuity Brands Inc. No financial terms were disclosed. Christian Fabi serves as president of The Luminaires Group.

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising companies in the lower midmarket, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell The Luminaires Group, a leading North American manufacturer of specification-grade and architectural lighting fixtures, to Acuity Brands, Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Luminaires’ management team, under the leadership of Christian Fabi, built a world-class business with an incredible culture and a deep commitment to serving its customers with innovative lighting solutions,” said Marc Buan, a Sentinel Principal. “During our partnership, Luminaires has successfully completed a complex consolidation of three separate divisions and has integrated two add-on acquisitions, which enabled the company to centralize management, streamline operations, and expand its product offerings. We are thrilled to have worked with this team and see a very bright future for Luminaires as part of Acuity Brands.”

Luminaires President, Christian Fabi, commented, “Throughout our partnership, Sentinel has offered a strong and guiding hand during a formative and highly successful period in our company’s history.”
Luminaires’ strategy is to acquire companies that bring specific competences to the group and support and accelerate their growth initiatives. Luminaires also leverages the combined knowledge and expertise of its group to improve process and product design, deliver the best possible combination of cutting edge lighting, and provide unsurpassed support. Each division in the group retains its autonomy and brand identity, which facilitates an organizational culture that is nimble and able to quickly react to its own market needs.

The past 12 months have been highly active for Sentinel. Besides Luminaires, Sentinel sold CINgroup, a workflow solutions provider to the consumer bankruptcy market, and made five new platform investments, including Apex Companies, an environmental services firm; Holley Performance Products, a designer, manufacturer and marketer of branded aftermarket automotive performance products; Mobile Communications America, a communications solutions and services provider; Pet Supplies Plus, a franchisor and operator of pet-specialty stores; and SSJA Bariatric Management, an administrative support service provider to a network of bariatric surgery offices.

About Sentinel Capital Partners
Sentinel Capital Partners specializes in buying and building lower midmarket companies in the United States and Canada in partnership with management. Sentinel targets aerospace and defense, business services, consumer, distribution, food and restaurants, franchising, healthcare, and industrial businesses. Sentinel invests in management buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, and going-private transactions of established businesses with EBITDA of up to $65 million. Sentinel also invests in special situations, including balance sheet restructurings, and operational turnarounds. For more information about Sentinel, visit www.sentinelpartners.com.

About The Luminaires Group
The Luminaires Group is a leader in the specification-grade lighting industry. Through its unique niche divisions (a-light, Cyclone, Eureka, Luminaire LED, and Luminis), Luminaires provides a wide range of innovative lighting solutions for both interior and exterior use. Each Luminaires division has a deep connection to the market segment it serves – designing, developing, and manufacturing some of the industry’s most innovative products. Trusted by architects, landscape architects, interior designers, and engineers, Luminaires’ products illuminate spaces throughout North America. Specified in commercial, institutional, hospitality, and urban environments, Luminaires’ products have been recognized for innovation and excellence by some of the leading authorities in lighting and design. Luminaires has received many awards, including several prestigious Red Dot Awards. Find out more about The Luminaires Group at www.luminairesgroup.com.